Kevin Chamberlain seeks awareness, Council seat

As the one-year anniversary of 4-year-old Carnel Chamberlain’s death approaches in June, his cousin Kevin Chamberlain has not backed down from his message of wanting to shed light on issues existing on the Isabella Indian Reservation.

“People are just not ready to talk about it,” Chamberlain said.

In an article published in the Morning Sun Aug. 12, 2012, Chamberlain spoke out against the cycles of abuse that have happened to him and other tribal members. Chamberlain says the cycles of abuse are directly related to the Indian Boarding School era, which tore apart generations of families and damaged Native American culture, languages and relationships.

“Until we learn that history and understand ourselves better, it’s really the key,” to getting the community to open up and being healing, said Chamberlain.

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Chamberlain himself kept quiet about the abuse in his past until his family member was murdered last summer, allegedly by Anthony M. Bennett, the live-in boyfriend of Carnel’s mother Jaimee Chamberlain. Bennett is currently awaiting trial in federal court.

“It is the taboo blinders that lead to the type of events that happened around Carnel,” said Chamberlain. “That’s why someone can get that lonely or dismal, or that volatile – because no one did anything.”

Chamberlain hopes that continuing to educate his friends, family and community about the past can lead to help for the future.

“Developing avenues, and letting people know there are avenues for help if they want it,” is how Chamberlain wants to start the dialogue, he said. “Opening door to the discussion - not forcing it. It shouldn’t be forced, it takes a long time for a person to talk about it, let alone think about it.”

Chamberlain said to get to the point where a victim of abuse is ready to talk about it to someone who can relate can take a long time. “I would like to lay that foundation, plant the seed to let them know there is help, they are not alone they don’t have to live in shame and darkness and the depths of addiction. Because of shame,” Chamberlain said.

“I really empathically do believe the people who live in the community have very little clue as to why we’ve become we’ve dependent, why we were molested or abused, and why people continue to abuse alcohol,” Chamberlain said.

“We don’t understand history of boarding school era,” he said. “We can’t begin to heal until you understand what happens what makes that mindset prevalent in the community; why is it so consistent through community.”

Chamberlain said opening up and talking about the history of the Indian Boarding School era, and what happened to the children and families who went through it, isn’t about laying blame on anyone for what happened, but about understanding it as a key to healing.

“It’s why our youth today continue to struggle with identity and ‘who am I?’, and turn to drugs so readily and easily,” said Chamberlain. “We certainly weren’t taught (about Indian Boarding School history) in the education system.”

The past two years the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe held a “Remembrance Day” on the grounds of the Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School, which was in operation from 1983 to 1934. “Remembrance Day - I learned things at first one I had no idea even happened,” said Chamberlain. “This wasn’t just speculation, these were people who lived it. They also presented local news documents from that early 1900s that documented a lot of what was said. Our community doesn’t know that stuff, didn’t know it was that bad.”

This year’s Remembrance Day is slated for Thursday, June 6, 2013.

Chamberlain is running for Tribal Council in this fall’s elections, and feels his platform is based on his past experiences in the community.

“For me it’s a cultural thing, in that some of our cultural teachings basically outline one’s life and what one should be trying to achieve in different stages of life,” said Chamberlain. “Anybody in their 30s, 40s or 50s are in a stage where the question one should ask themselves is ‘What are you doing with what you learned?’ That’s the stage I’m in.”

”I put in the hands of the Creator,” said Chamberlain. “Do I want to be there to help, and bring what I’ve learned as businessman and as person who’s worked for a lot of departments, for over 25 years? I want to be able to bring what I’ve learned to the table.”

“I’ve come to the conclusion change really needs to begin with younger generation,” said Chamberlain. “We’ve have more youth deaths and since have had a few meetings regarding that as a community. People who work with the kids, and people who are interested or concerned.”

Chamberlain said some of the youth on the reservation are “reaching out to each other and saying ‘We can’t keep living this way.’ For those who are lost – they are not alone and don’t have to be,” he said.

Chamberlain said he became aware of “serious drug issues – serious bad drugs that our community needs to thwart and push out, and say ‘This is our community!’ (The drugs) are being introduced and being used in conjunction with other drugs and alcohol – I hear it’s been a really strong reason behind some of the tragedy in this community.”

“It breaks my heart,” said Chamberlain. “These are young adults I used to work with in the gym and youth center over last 20 years and now we are burying them.”

“I do see we have been able to start opening eyes and ears and saying I don’t care who we offend anymore,” said Chamberlain. “This has got to stop – it needs to happen. It is a do or die situation.”